Potty Training - Russellville,AR

Hi T.,
My 2nd daughter is 20 months old and I am working on potty training as well. She tells me when she is wet or poopy (pats the front of her diaper and says 'poopy' for a wet or dirty diaper) she likes to sit on the potty, but no success yet. I feel if I continue sitting her on the potty often she will eventually go and make the connection. My 3 1/2 year old has been potty trained for over a year and has just in the past month been dry some mornings, so you can't always determine readiness by when they are waking up with a dry diaper. I personally feel some kids are ready at this young age, I've seen it-I taught preschool for 3 years are there were a few who were fully trained by 18 months-as in they told the teacher when they needed to go potty. This is unusual, but they don't have to be 3 before you start trying.
I don't use a little potty, I get a seat that sits on top of the toilet seat and a stool so she can get up there herself. I don't believe in pull-ups, but I think my 20 month old would really like them, she loves to dress herself! They are just a fancy diaper and I think they delayed my 1st daughters potty training. Sit her on the potty every 30 minutes or so, when she starts to go a few times a day-switch to panties-we got the thick ones (made by Gerber) and the first few days I had to wash every pair but I had to do less and less. I gave her an M&M when she pee peed-I also used a potty chart (just construction paper she could put stickers on)She got more M&Ms if she pooped. There are lots of books out there. I think the potty training in less than a day is insane, but you might look at it, I went to a bookstore and just looked at several books and found out I was doing what many of the books said, so I didn't bother to buy any.

When both of my girls turned two, I took a week to focus on potty training. I also made sure we didn't have to go anywhere. I put them in a simple little dress. That's it. No panty, no diaper. Many friends told me that little girls don't like the feel of anything running down their legs. When they start to go, they will stop and tell you.

I set the timer to go off every 30 minutes to remind me to take them to the bathroom. I would sit them on the regular toilet(we put a step stool in front of it so they could reach it). I bought a bag of suckers as a special treat every time they went in the potty. By day 3 I only gave suckers for pooping in the potty. Candy is a big deal at our house because I don't usually buy it. They were both fully trained within 3 days. Everyone I know who has tried this has had great results.

Some things to keep in mind(I just trained my second daughter 2 months ago so the memories are fresh):

Before my kids were ever ready to be trained, I would sit them on the toilet before bathtime. They learned to keep their balance, wipe, and flush way before potty training time. They never 'went' but they learned not to be scared of the whole process.

On day one, when we finally started, by 9:30am I was ready to pull my hair out. My second daughter LIKED sitting on the toilet, so she wanted to sit on it every 5 minutes! LOL

Giving kids a lot of salty things to eat the day you start trying will make them thirstier so they will have to go more often. This helps speed things along. Although we do not usually eat a lot of stuff like that, it did seem to help. I figured a day or two of this wouldn't hurt to much.

Getting my kids to 'go' on the potty the first time was the hardest. After that it seemed a lot easier because they knew they could do it!

Sometimes kids don't want to take the time to go if they are playing and having a lot of fun. I always have them sit on the potty before a fun activity, going outside, car rides, naps, and bedtime. Even if they say they don't want to, they usually do go at least a little.

I carry antibacterial wipes in my purse in case they have to go in a public place that has a very dirty bathroom. No matter how many times I tell my little one to hold me, not the seat, she will still touch the toilet seat.

Consistency was the key for us. Once we started trying, we never went back!

Good Luck!

I would make sure she is ready. My daughter just turned 3 and I"knew" she was ready at 2. She would try and try and she just wouldn't do it. She would sit on the toilet with a diaper on and go but wouldn't actually use it. She tried the no underwear thing and that didn't work at all! She would just go where ever or cry until I put I diaper on her and then go. The day she turned 3 though, I tried again and something clicked. It has been a month and she hasn't had any accidents! I think that each kid has to just want to do it. I mean I just told her to use the potty and no more diapers and she did! It was SO EASY to potty train. I would just make sure she is really ready. The american academy of pediatrics actually recommends waiting until 30-36 months to start since that is when kids really gain control of their bodily functions. They have some tips too http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/toilettraining.cfm
good luck!

HI,am a mother of 2 boys and one was fully potty trained by 2 years and three months old and my 2 year old goes tee tee in the potty. (well he will be 2 in October). Alot of people may think this is gross (including my husband until he realized it worked) but you put the potty chair in the living room, not to actually potty, but so she can get use to it. I found that the bathroom is very intimidating to a small child. Then when I change my kids diapers i would point to the front and did you go tee tee and the same with the back. pretty soon they figure out the diff. Then when they sit on the potty ask if she went tee tee or poo poo. Do this for a week or so and then try taking the diaper off. If she has a fit she is not ready and go to square 1. If she is fine then leave he there and say go tee tee and praise her for sitting in it. And I promise they will love it from that point. when she gets use to the potty move it to the bathroom by your potty and go with her so she doesnt feel alone. Hope this helps it worked for my 2 and they were potty trained by 2 and it only took like a month to fully do it.

T.,
Hello. If your daughter is showing interest, then it's a great time to start with the potty training process. And almost all kids are capable of using the potty by 24 months. I know my daughter was doing good with potty training and about 22 months old her Daddy started traveling and we had a major regression. What worked for us was moving to regular underwear and a few other tips I have. I let her pick her underwear out at the store and our motto is to keep them "clean and dry", we say this every time we put our underwear on, I tell her she did a good job keeping them "clean and dry" when we go to use the potty (if they are), and remind her again when we pull them up after she uses the potty. Find about 3 days when you can just stay at home or in your neighborhood. I would take her to the potty - to just try every hour and then explain that she won't have to go so often if he starts to tell you when she has to go pee or poop. I would still be aware of the time; children do get busy playing and don't want to stop. So, if it's been over 2 hours, I'd just say it's time to try to pee or poop.

Accidents will happen, and I never made a big deal out of it; however, it was my daughter that had to clean it up - meaning, she had to take her own shorts and underwear off, wipe herself clean and if it got on anything else like the floor, I gave her a wet cloth to clean it up (of course sometimes I would still need to go over it more), and then she had to carry her wet clothes to the washing machine, come back wash her hands and get re-dressed. I would ask, "Where do we put our pee and poop?" She would say, "In Potty" and I said "That's right, let's do that next time." I have always been kind and understanding (even when I just asked if she needed to go potty), and just talked her through each step of clean up. It's just natural consequences. After about two days of having to fully clean up after herself, I think she'll start using the potty.

I would move to underwear and have her clean herself when accidents do occur, but that's just me. We did still use pull-ups for nap & night until those can be mastered too. Sorry this is so long, hope it's helpful. Best of luck to you.
~ J.

GO to Sam's CLub and buy a big box off pull ups and you'll get a FREE potty training video inside that has lots of good ideas on different stages of training. You won't need the pullups for a while but you will use them later.

i always brought the potty chair out just to introduce it to them and let them sit on it right before bathtime. my daughter did that for a couple months, then at 27 months, put panties on and used the big potty and totally trained herself. you shouldn't rush them, just show them, and i believe they'll do it when they are ready. as for my son, he was doing really well, then the babysitter put him in pullups and i let her since she was pregnant, and it really put him behind. he was potty trained (by that i mean, they tell you when they have to go) right before his 3rd b-day. i think when they are ready, skip the pullups and go right to panties. let them pick out pretty panties and get them excited about them. they need to be able to communicate well to understand and tell you when they need to go. Don't train yourself by taking them every hour, if you want to save frustration, wait until they are ready and train them, not yourself. good luck!

All I can say is, it's much easier if you wait until the child is ready. DD was ready at around 2, but for DS it was 4. I had no problems.

~A.~

sit her on potty. give her stickers or an m&m. What ever reward you chose for sitting 2 min. If somthing happens act like someone handed you a million dollars. Praise her for a good 10 min after.

One of my children has only one kidney (she's perfectly fine). At our yearly check-up with the nephrologist I complained that she was nearly 3 years old and still wasn't potty trained and insisted that the kidney thing must have something to do with it. He laughed and gave me the best advice. He said that there's no such thing as potty training, because it's impossible to teach a child or any person bladder control. He said in his experience with his own children and others that when you hear about a really young child like 18 months who is supposedly potty trained the only one trained is the mom. Trained at timing the childs every bathroom break. He said all you need to do is talk to the child about the activity of using the potty, give lots of praise and encouragement and then wait on the child to do the rest. Then he said, honestly when was the last time you heard of a child starting the first grade in diapers. Just relax and it will happen.
The very next week we were watching Sat. morning cartoons and she said "Mommy I need to go poopie". I said okay and we haven't looked back since. Honestly we've probably only had a handful of "accidents".
Good luck. That transition from diapers to undies is not for the faint of heart.

First of all, is she ready to start? Is she showing the signs of readiness? If so, get her a potty and put it near the one you use. Let her get used to looking at it. Make a word for using the potty. Like tt, or pee-pee. Give her something to drink, juice works well because it really doesn't quench thirst,(because of the sugar) so they keep drinking. It would take between 30-45 minutes after drinking something before my daughter would need to go. Some experts say to put them in real underware. No diapers or pull-up's (except at nap and bedtime). When she gets up, off with it. Let her know that it is something different from the begining. For extra protection, I would line her panties with a maxi pad. It sounds crazy but it will contain a 2 year olds bladder accident. So after all of this, give her crackers or goldfish to eat, anything that will make her considerably thirsty. Then give her juice. After 30 minutes or so take her to her potty. Get her to sit on it like mommy. Ask her to tt. Do anything to keep her there. I have read many Dr. Seauss books in my bathroom. She may not tt on it the first time. Keep checking her panties to find out when she did go. Basically, get to know your childs bladder. After you know this, it's all about repetition and positive encouragement. When she has an accident, get her to help you clean it up. And remind her to use the potty. It will be easy for you to get aggravated during this time and just know that accidents WILL happen. Keep your cool and know that she is trying to learn something that she has never had to do. She is used to tt-ing in a diaper where ever she is and now she is trying to relearn something that she thought was right. Imagine how hard that would be for us to do. Sometimes they get busy playing and forget or don't want to take the time to go to the bathroom. Smaller children like to emulate the older ones. An older cousin or friends child can be positive peer pressure. Let her watch an older kid (girl) use it and maybe it will compel her to do it herself. All of this is what I did and it worked for me. One mistake I made was trying to train her too soon. She was my first child too and I had it in my mind that now she's 2 she needs to be potty trained. At that time, she just wasn't ready and we had to quit and try her again a few months later. Every child is different. I'm now potty training again. My son will be 3 in a few weeks. He is just now starting to show signs of readiness. She was nearly 3 before she was going number 1 & 2 in the potty. She was 4 before the pull-up's at night was able to come off. The peer pressure was what sealed the deal for us. After she has mastered the potty, don't be surprised if she has an accident, even at age 4, when something big happens in her life (new baby, new house..)Once she starts using the potty for tt, you may find that she will put her bowel movements off until she is wearing a diaper or pull-up. I think it's a bit psychological. Just keep reminding her to use the potty for both 1 & 2 (make a word for 2). It may take a couple of weeks to get her to do both. Constant reminding, positive reinforcement, encouragement and rewards will make her want to keep trying. I wish you luck & patience.

Hi T.
Well I have a 9 year old and a 2 year old. However with both of them I began when they were about 20 months or so getting them to go sit on the potty when mommy went to the potty! I wanted them to get use to the idea of going to the bathroom when they needed. After doing that for a while with them and asking often did they need to go they will begin to be able to tell you either right before or right after they go! No matter which one atleast they are recognizing it! Just continue and be consistent and try Pull-Ups too! I have to admit there will be times that you know they do not need to go but they want to, go anyway! I would never tell mine they do not need to because as soon as you do that will be the time they really do!! Good Luck!!!
~C. Stork~
www.forourkidz.fourpointmoms.com

Take her to the potty with you and set her in her chair and talk with her and when you potty be very quiet so she can hear the tinkle then clap and be all excited and happy and have her celebrate with you. Don't expect her to start going just make it a routine with her and she'll catch on and while you're talking be sure to use words like potty and bathroom and any 'cue words' you choose. This will be a good helpful start for her. I also kept a written routine of when they went to the bathroom #1 and #2 and then around that time we went.
B.

I used Toilet Training in less than a day, by Nathan Azrin. It was packed with good ideas and really pretty easy. Worked great! I think they carry it at the major bookstores, but you can read about it on Amazon.com. There were some reviews. I liked that it was really kind of fun for the kids. I got a baby doll that wet also. That was really helpful. You may need to wait a few more months at about 2 yrs. old. She will need to be able to understand when she has to go to the bathroom. You will also need to cut off night time drinks. If it becomes upsetting to her, probably not the right time. Not good to stress her out over it. She should embrace it and be encouraged by it. Good luck.

A friend once told me that children weren't really mature enough to be potty trained until the were staying dry through the night te majority of the time. I decided to wait until my son was waking up with a dry diaper the majority of the time and it was the best thing I've ever done. He is 3yo. Last week I told him that once his diapers were gone we weren't buying anymore and he was going to start wearing his big boy underwear. I stuck to my word and put big boy underwear and a t-shirt on him the morning after his last diaper. He had 2 dribble accidents and that was it. Within 4-5 hours he was trained. He was going in the potty. He LOVES going to the potty and cheers every time he goes. The next day I pulled out some Thomas and Friends Trains I had been saving and displayed them in the glass cabinet inside the entertainment center. I told him the when he went poopie in the potty he could pick out his favorite. He spent all day staring at that cabinet and trying to go poopie. By the end of the afternoon he had poopied in the potty and got his train. There are three trains left and we'll let him pick out trains everytime he goes poopie until they are gone. He has even managed to tell me he has needed to go when we have gone out shopping. It has really been a VERY easy process and I attibute it to waitng until HE was ready and not when *I* was ready.